WEEZER

Maladroit Geffen, $18.98

Rivers Cuomo excels in unhappiness. "Back off/ Baby/ I'm a loner," the singer-guitarist declares on "American Gigolo," the portal track to Weezer's new album. But don't believe it. From the band's self-titled 1994 debut album to last year's (also self-titled) "Weezer," Cuomo's songs have always been studies in human longing -- for love, acceptance, a little peace of mind.

Weezer's fourth full-length CD, "Maladroit," adds a dollop of bitterness to the mix, much of it directed at the pressures of stardom: "I'll appear/ Slap you on the face/ And enjoy the show," Cuomo snarls on the first single, "Dope Nose." It's a painfully human hostility, balanced by Cuomo's empathy -- albeit grudging -- for those he disses and power-pop choruses that emphatically resist wallowing. Even despairing plaints like "Death and Destruction" and "Space Rock" are ultimately uplifting, laced with self-aware insights and melodies that expose their sad-sack author's euphoric underbelly.

"Maladroit" is undeniably emo to the core, but it uses a broad palette to paint its emotions, from the furious garage rock that drives "Fall Together" to the swooping pop of "December" and "Burndt Jamb." Classic punk-rock chords (see Buzzcocks) and pop-metal riffs (see T. Rex) jostle for dominance; come- hither hooks balance lyrics that mope to the beat of a broken heart.

"Leave me alone/ I won't pick up/ The phone," Cuomo insists on "Slob." But he will, of course -- and the more he insists on disconnecting, the more obvious is his yearning for connection. A good thing, too, because this ability to channel conflict into compelling music is what catapults Weezer from the arena of merely good bands into the realm of potential greatness.

-- Neva Chonin

SPIFFED-UP FERRY

STILL FALLS SHORT

BRYAN FERRY

Frantic Virgin, $19.98

On his first new record since the less-than-memorable "As Time Goes By" in 1999, British fop Bryan Ferry put enough production polish into "Frantic" to qualify his new CD as a modest return to form. He is reunited with Brian Eno, his former Roxy Music mate, on a pair of tracks, and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood plays on another cut. His typically eclectic song selection and eccentric originals have a certain freshness -- he tries manfully to breathe life into the oft-covered Dylan chestnut "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" -- but never manages to escape the feeling that all of this has been done before. And better.

-- Joel Selvin

COLLECTION REVISITS

CHICAGO BLUESMAN

J.B. LENOIR

Mojo Boogie Varese, $16.98

One of the often overlooked '50s Chicago bluesmen, J.B. Lenoir (who died in 1967) specialized in snappy boogie drives and topical blues. His best-known pieces ("Eisenhower Blues," "Mama Talk to Your Daughter," "Natural Man") are not included on this collection, which focuses on recordings he made for the small J.O.B. and U.S.A. labels before and after his most productive mid-'50s associations with the Parrot and Chess labels. Consequently, the set falls far below the subtitle's claim ("an essential collection"), although Lenoir, with his high-pitched vocals and boogie-woogie guitar, remains an attractive presence.